Elk Mountain

May 22-23, 2004

Trip Report | Photos

My long weekend plans had been rained out but the sun was shining on Sunday. Mark and the kids seemed content to sit around watching TV and playing video games so at 1:30 I decided to take off for a quicky overnighter in Chilliwack

Elk Mountain seemed like a good last minute destination as the trail is short & relatively easy but would still offer some beautiful views. So I threw my stuff together, including the kids $25 Canadian Tire Tent which I had been wanting to try out as a solo tent & was out the door with the dog by 2:15.

Was on the trail by 4:22 & passed quite a few people on their way down. The trail was in very good shape & the hiking was easy. After the first hour my usual disdain for hiking in the forest kicked in and the next 30 minutes were pretty boring making the steeper grade all the more unpleasant. But after an hour and a half I broke out of the trees and, as usual, it was all worthwhile. Mount McGuire greeted me & I enjoyed the rest of the hike which was mostly through the meadows with one short forested section.

Stopped for a short breather at the first viewpoint before heading back into the trees for a few minutes. The last little bit once you come out of the trees is pretty steep but not a big deal. The views make you forget all about it.

There is an urn on top of Elk Mtn which I find a little odd. I mean, I can see scattering ashes in a place that was special to the person, but just parking the whole darn urn there? That's a little weird. Oh well. At least I had some company :)

I set up camp & sat down to make a cup of tea & dinner while CJ explored the area. Baker kept teasing me with peek-a-boo views as clouds slowly moved around its summit. I'm planning a trip there in a few weeks so I was really wanting to get some good views of it.

After dinner, we went for a walk along the ridge to enjoy the sunset. McGuire, the Canadian & American Border Peaks, Tomyhoi & Slesse all looked beautiful in that magic hour light. Got back to the tent just as the sun was sinking behind the mountains to the west.

It was a VERY long night. This was CJ's first overnight trip and she pretty much barked & growled all night long. She settled down around 3:30am after she took over my sleeping pad and half my sleeping bag but it's kind of hard to sleep with a 65lb dog on top of you without my cushy sleeping pad. At 5:00 I gave up and we got up.

I was greeted (as I had hoped!) by a clear view of Mount Baker right outside the door. I had to get home because I'd promised the kids that we could go to the Cloverdale rodeo so by 6:00 we were on our way back down. Made it down in 55 minutes but did I ever pay for it the next day. Met 3 people on their way up.

Nice little hike. There is no water along the ridge so bring lots. You can continue along the ridge to Thurston & Mercer.

Directions:

Traveling East on Hwy 1 - take Exit 123 (Prest Road) for 4km. Go left on Bailey Road and take the right fork that rises up which is Elk Lake Road. This is a really nice little drive. The road twists & turns through adorable little farms & homes for about 10km before turning to gravel & becoming Chilliwack Bench Forest Road. The trail head is just a little further on your left. Lots of parking.

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Trip Report | Photos